Existing surface parking lot makes way for consolidation of civil and criminal courts. On August 11, 2008, the City Planning Commission approved three applications needed to facilitate construction of the new Staten Island Supreme Courthouse and parking garage. The site, owned by the Department of Transportation, occupies most of the St. George Municipal Parking Field, roughly bounded by Central Avenue, Hyatt Street, St. Mark’s Place, and Victory Boulevard. The five-story courthouse is an as-of-right development, but the project requires a special permit for the 660-space parking facility since only 69 spaces would be as-of-right. The plan also calls for the acquisition of private property to replace the 501 parking spaces lost during construction.

The northern section of the project site, formerly known as the Quarantine Grounds, was used as a burial ground in the mid 1800s. In order to preserve the cemetery’s remains, the proposal calls for a memorial green on the northwest corner of the site. If approved by Council, the courthouse would be the new home for Staten Island’s Civil, Criminal, and Lower Criminal Courts.